Verb tenses · Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese Gerund (Gerúndio)
The gerund is the -ndo form (falando, comendo, partindo): with estar it says what is or was going on, and on its own it says how something happened.
Estou trabalhando agora, te ligo depois. I'm working right now, I'll call you later.
- Used constantly in speech
- Level A1
- Different in Portugal
estou · está · estamos · estão (tu estás) + -ando · -endo · -indo
When to use the gerund
Estar in the present + gerund: something happening right now.
A gente está jantando, pode ligar mais tarde?
We're having dinner, can you call later?
Estar in the imperfect + gerund: something that was going on when something else happened.
Eu estava saindo de casa quando começou a chover.
I was leaving home when it started to rain.
Estar + gerund for something temporary, these days.
Ela está morando com os pais até achar um apartamento.
She's living with her parents until she finds an apartment.
Continuar, ficar and andar + gerund, for something that keeps going.
Fiquei esperando o ônibus quarenta minutos.
I was stuck waiting for the bus for forty minutes.
The gerund alone, for how something happened.
Ele saiu correndo para pegar o metrô.
He ran out to catch the subway.
Often confused with the present.
Regular verbs
Every regular verb follows one of these three: -ar like falar (to speak), -er like comer (to eat), -ir like partir (to leave). The ending is in bold and underlined. Tu is used in parts of Brazil, and is shown last.
Presente contínuo
| Person | falar | comer | partir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eueu | estou falando | estou comendo | estou partindo |
| vocêvocê, ele, ela, a gente | está falando | está comendo | está partindo |
| nósnós | estamos falando | estamos comendo | estamos partindo |
| vocêsvocês, eles, elas | estão falando | estão comendo | estão partindo |
| tuturegional | estás falando | estás comendo | estás partindo |
Passado contínuo
| Person | falar | comer | partir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eueu | estava falando | estava comendo | estava partindo |
| vocêvocê, ele, ela, a gente | estava falando | estava comendo | estava partindo |
| nósnós | estávamos falando | estávamos comendo | estávamos partindo |
| vocêsvocês, eles, elas | estavam falando | estavam comendo | estavam partindo |
| tuturegional | estavas falando | estavas comendo | estavas partindo |
Irregular verbs
Any verb in the gerund
How Brazilians use it
Tô fazendo, tava dormindo
In speech estar shrinks: tô (estou), tá (está), tava (estava). Tô chegando, tá chovendo, eu tava dormindo: that's how you'll hear the continuous all over Brazil. Write it in full.
The gerundismo: vou estar enviando
In call centers and offices you'll hear vou estar enviando, vou estar verificando (“I will be sending”). Brazilians joke about it, and style guides tell you to avoid it: say vou enviar, or just envio.
In Portugal
Portugal mostly uses estar a + infinitive instead: estou a fazer, estava a dormir, where Brazil says estou fazendo, estava dormindo. The gerund survives in the south of Portugal (the Alentejo and the Algarve) and on the islands, the Azores and Madeira. Where Brazil says saiu correndo, Portugal often says saiu a correr.
Common mistakes
Not
Nadando é bom para a saúde.ButNadar é bom para a saúde.
English uses -ing as a noun (“swimming is good”); Portuguese uses the infinitive.
Not
Depois de comendo, a gente saiu.ButDepois de comer, a gente saiu.
After a preposition Portuguese uses the infinitive, not the gerund: depois de comer, antes de sair, sem pensar.
Not
Eu estou tendo dois irmãos.ButEu tenho dois irmãos.
Something that's simply true goes in the simple present. Estar + gerund is for what's going on: estou tendo um dia difícil is fine.
Practise the gerund
Ten questions on the most common verbs. Type the form; you'll see right or wrong at once.
Cheat sheet
The endings and the most common irregular verbs on one printable page.
Gerund cheat sheet (PDF)Questions
What is the gerund in Portuguese?
The -ndo form of a verb: falando, comendo, partindo. It's what English does with -ing in “I'm eating”, and with estar it makes the continuous tenses: estou comendo, estava comendo.
How do you form the gerund in Portuguese?
Take the -r off the infinitive and add -ndo: falar → falando, comer → comendo, partir → partindo. It never changes with the subject, and the only odd one is pôr → pondo.
What is the difference between estou fazendo and faço in Portuguese?
Estou fazendo is what's going on now or these days; faço is a habit or a general fact. Estou fazendo o jantar is “I'm making dinner”; faço o jantar todo dia is “I make dinner every day”.
Do they say estou fazendo in Portugal?
Mostly not: Portugal says estou a fazer, with estar a + infinitive. Estou fazendo is the Brazilian form, though it's still heard in the south of Portugal and on the islands.
Related tenses: the present, the imperfect
See the gerund in real books
Tables teach the forms; stories teach when to use them. Read Brazilian books and stories at your level, tap any verb for its meaning in that sentence, and press Listen to hear the page in a Brazilian voice.
Start reading free